There are many different activities to support the implementation of the eight SIOP components. Remember that some activities fit more than one component. Organized by component below, you will find a description and some tips for a few possible activities.
Description: This activity allows materials to be more comprehensible to students. Students will use an assortment of stimulating materials to better understand the content being taught.
Pros: Teachers can reach the varying levels of ELLs with all the available materials. It seems impossible for the teacher not to find something that any student could connect too. The grouping of students has the widest range possible (ranges individual to whole class).
Cons: Variation of the materials increases the student’s chances of connecting to the subject matter and building background knowledge. This variation may be time consuming and expensive for the classroom teacher.
Grade levels: All
Content areas: All
Additional resources: Ideas include magazines, videos, real objects, pictures, primary language literature, poetry, music, graphic organizers, food, internet, iPads/iTouches, posters, etc. (KF)
Differentiated Instruction This is a vital part to lesson preparation. This can be done with all grade levels and subject areas. Differentiation should be used with all classes, but is especially important when dealing with ELLs from such different backgrounds and proficiency levels. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to cater to the various needs of their students. Teachers should think about how they will differentiate instruction during the planning stage of their lesson. They can do this by creating clear content and language objectives and using supplementary materials such as visuals and hands-on activities. It is important to provide scaffolding for students who struggle, while also leaving options for students who can go above and beyond. This is a difficult thing to master in a lesson, so it is important to plan ahead for it during lesson preparation. (EL)
Backwards Planning
The teacher plans backwards. Which means you determine how the content and language objectives will be assessed then you give a pretest to assess prior knowledge. The teacher then knows what they want the students to know to be successful on the final assessment. This strategy is used throughout the unit. Before the unit you are determining how you will assess and explain the objectives and assessments to the students, during the unit you are making sure students understand the tasks or you are re teaching, at the end of the unit you are assessing their learning. This strategy is best for grades three through twelve. It can be used for all content areas. Materials needed: lesson plans and objectives (JG)
Description: This activity applies to non-fiction text only. Students will use the following code to identify pieces of the text: check mark for known fact, ? for a confusing concept/fact, ! for a new/unusual, + for an idea new to the reader. After discussion with a small group, question marks are replaced with * as misunderstandings are resolved.
Pros: The symbols are super easy for any student to write out, and they provide a visual map to the text.
Cons: This activity applies for all content areas, but can only be used for non-fiction text pieces. Also, students must be able to read the pieces of text they are being evaluated over, in order to provide an accurate assessment.
Grade levels: 3-12
Content areas: All
Additional resources: N/A (KF)
KWL Chart
The KWL Chart is a basic and well-known form of building background. It can be used in all content areas and grade levels. There may be modified charts that could be incorporated to classrooms depending on the proficiency levels of the ELL students. In classes where students have lower proficiency, the KWL chart could be filled out as a class so that the teacher could provide support. For more advanced classes, the "Want to Learn" category can be filled out in greater detail (i.e. How will we find this information? Why is it important for us to learn this?). In that case, the teacher could use a KWHL chart, incorporating a "How" category. This activity should be used at the beginning and end of the lesson. The key part of this activity is going back to the chart after the lesson and filling out the "What we Learned" category. That helps students reflect on their learning and see if they met the goals that they set for themselves. These are links to a very basic KWL chart and a more in-depth KWHL chart: KWL Chart KWHL Chart (EL)
4-Corners Vocabulary
Students work in partners or small groups for this activity. They are given a vocabulary word for the unit and they create an illustration to represent the word, a definition of the word, a sentence using the word and then they write the actual vocabulary word. Students are given a piece of paper that is divided into four equal parts. The finished product can then be displayed in the classroom. This activity would be used at the beginning of the unit to build an understanding of vocabulary terms that will be used throughout the unit. All ages and all subject areas can use four corners vocabulary. Materials needed: Vocabulary words and paper (JG)
Description: Students create cards with words, pictures, definitions, or sentences that describe a vocabulary term. These cards are then grouped together for the student to refer back to.
Pros: This activity helps students build on background knowledge and increases comprehension. Its flexibility for grade level and content area also allows it to be done with any class and any subject.
Cons: Some students may feel overloaded with words they aren’t familiar with or do not know.
Grade level: All
Content areas: All
Additional resources: N/A (KF)
Move It!
Move It! is a perfect activity for kinesthetic learners. It would be best for elementary students and ELLs with a lower proficiency level. It can be used in any content area as long as the teacher can think of movements to accompany the information being taught. This is a great way of incorporating active learning into the classroom and is a helpful strategy for memorization. The idea is that teachers would use movements to accompany new concepts (ex. When teaching about the water cycle, the teacher can do motions for "rain" and mimic waves for "collection," etc.) This should be used at the beginning of the lesson to introduce new vocabulary or concepts. It could be accompanied by visuals or a song to help further memorization. (EL)
Framed Outlines
The teacher creates an outline of the text or lesson leaving out some key information. Students are expected to fill out the outline as they read, watch a video or listen to a mini-lesson. Framed outlines would be used during the lesson and individuals would complete the outline on their own or in small groups. Framed outlines provide differentiated instruction. Some students can create their outlines on their own; some students may need basic information with some blanks on the outline while others may need vocabulary terms or illustrations on their outlines. Framed Outlines can be used for grades second through twelve and across all content areas. Materials needed: teacher creates outline (JG)
Description: Students will be placed into groups (partnered groups at a minimum) in order to provide support for all students. They will draw slips of paper from a can which pose various questions from the various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy about the intended topic. Students will answer these questions in their groups, allowing the entire class to hear their answers.
Pros: Support from others in the group doesn’t single students out.
Cons: Students may feel embarrassed if they are unable to read or answer the questions since they are answering in front of the class.
Grade level: 2-12
Content areas: All
Additional resources: N/A (KF)
Anticipation/Reaction Guide
This uses the strategy of predicting and self-evaluating for ELLs. This should be used for upper elementary grade levels and beyond because it requires some higher level thinking. It can be used in any content area, because teachers can change the statements to fit their subject. This activity can be modified to cater to all levels of ELL proficiency. Students are given a sheet with true/false statements. There are two columns, one for "anticipation" and one "reaction." Before the lesson, students fill out the prediction column based on prior knowledge and what they think will be true. Afterwards, they will fill out the second column and compare their answers. Teachers may decide to have a class or small group discussion to reflect on what students were or were not expecting. Here are two examples. The first has a written reflection piece, the other is more basic: Anticipation/Reaction Guide - Written Reflection Basic Anticipation/Reaction Guide (EL)
T-Chart Graphic Organizer
A T-Chart is a graphic organizer that helps students classify information. The class brainstorms information about a topic. The students then break into groups and classify the brainstormed information. If the topic is animals the class brainstorms ideas and then groups classify into wild animals or domestic animals. Students can then explain their reasons for placing the animals in the category. This can be used with all grade levels and all content areas. T-charts can be used to show what students already know or can be used at the end of a lesson to assess what they learned. Materials needed: chart paper for whole class t chart and paper for groups t charts (JG)
Description: Students will be interviewed about a particular historical event. They will conduct research over this event and select a person who was significant during this time period. As they are interviewed, they will re-enact their chosen person based on the information they have gathered.
Pros: Students are forced to explore a wide variety of materials in order to gather information. This is a good way to learn about history while practicing important comprehension strategies such as determining importance and synthesizing.
Cons: Some students may not be into the ‘role playing’ of a character, creating a barrier between the student and synthesizing the information.
Grade level: 4-12
Content areas: Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Science
Additional resources: reference materials for research (KF)
Reader/Writer/Speaker Triad
This form of interaction uses all four of the language skills for ELLs. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are used by each member of the triad. This activity would be best for upper grade levels and higher proficiency, but it can be modified to fit any level. The idea is that a group of three students would work together to get through an article or perhaps a chapter of a textbook. Each student is given a role: one student reads the passage, a second writes a summary (phrases or drawings can be used for lower levels), and the third student shares the group's summary with the class. Roles can be rotated around the group so all students get to use each skill if desired. This can be used as a version of a jigsaw involving the whole class. The only material needed is the piece to read, paper, and a pencil. This can be used in any content area, because reading should be incorporated to all subjects. (EL)
Gallery Walk
Questions or topics are written on chart paper and posted around the room. Students work in groups and rotate around the room to the different questions. Each group uses a different colored pen and writes two or three responses or ideas to the posted question. Groups rotate every three minutes to the next question. They read and respond to the statements on the paper. After responding to all the questions groups go to their original question and read what the other groups wrote. They summarize and share the information orally with the class. Gallery Walk can be used in all subject areas and in grades second through twelfth Materials needed: Chart paper and different colored markers (JG)
Description: This activity is specifically designed for organizing expository text information only. Students use the flow chart presented in the book to summarize the essential information in a short story. The main elements such as characters, setting and plot are included in the chart, along with making predictions and evaluation of the text. The teacher should model how to use the chart before students use it independently.
Pros: The flow chart is very organized and easy to read. The chart highlights the main ideas while it also encourages students to give their thoughts and opinions about the text.
Cons: Students have to understand what they are reading in order to fill out the chart accurately.
Grade level: 3-10
Content areas: Language Arts and other subjects (when stories/narrative texts are read)
Additional resources: Short story flow chart from the following book: Echevarria, J. (2007). 99 ideas and activities for English language learners with the SIOP model. Allyn and Bacon Publishing (KF)
Go Graphic
This application method provides a clear visuals for ELLs when reading. This would be best with upper grade levels, but it can be used for more basic stories as well. This would be primarily focused in an English setting, and would be great for secondary English teaching to accompany novels. There are a myriad of graphic representations to help students comprehend novels better. These charts focus on sequence, cause and effect, or problem and solution. It helps students put their thoughts into a visual form that is easy to follow. There are tons of options that can be found online. This uses writing, reading (of the novel), and speaking if shared with a group. This would come after reading to allow for student reflection and application of their knowledge of the story line. Here are a few examples of graphic organizers that would be easy to use: Story Sequence Problem and Solution Cause and Effect (EL)
Piece O’ Pizza
This activity would be used after students have been given part of a text to read or when teaching a concept that has many parts. The teacher cuts a large circle into slices. Each slice is given to a small group. The group puts bits of information and illustrations on the slice. The pieces are then brought together and students share their information. This activity is good for second through twelfth grade and can work with all subject areas. This activity would be used with small groups and shows how parts make up a whole. Materials needed: a large circle cut into pieces (JG)
Description: Before a text is read within a class, the teacher and students will look at the text title and sub-headings to predict what the book is about--students ask who, what, when, where, why, and how. The sub-headings will then be turned into questions about the chapter’s main ideas. Students will use these questions to help them comprehend the text being read. The teacher should model and demonstrate the activity to the class several times before individual students attempt the activity on their own.
Pros: The questions being asked provide direction and a path to the intended topic, giving students a purpose for reading.
Cons: Not all students will be able to master this comprehension strategy. This may require more demonstrations from the teacher and only helps those students that create questions on their own.
Grade level: 1-12
Content areas: All
Additional resources: Excellent text with a variety of subheadings. Eisenstark, R. (2006). Archaeology and the ancient past. National Geographic Society: Washington DC. (KF)
Stand Up/Sit Down
This is a technique that should be used during a lesson to check in with students. It can be used as a "temperature check" for any grade level or content area. It is important to check in during lessons to make sure that students are keeping up. If not, the lesson needs to be re-evaluated and approached in a new way. This can be done in many different ways. This particular method is Stand Up/Sit Down. The teacher would ask a variety of questions, and the students will respond by standing. It can be done more discreetly with thumbs up/thumbs down. It can also be done with "magic buttons" or other paper forms. Either way, it is meant to make sure students aren't getting left behind. When teaching a lesson about parts of a story, the teacher would say, "Thumbs up if you feel confident that you could tell me what the rising action is." Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down (EL)
Chunk and Chew
This method gives students a chance to process the information being taught. For every ten minutes of teacher instruction students are given two minutes to process the information. Students can process individually or in small groups. This can work in all grade levels and across all content areas. Materials needed: none (JG)
Description: This activity can be used throughout any lesson being taught. The teacher makes a statement; if true, students give a thumbs up; if false, thumbs down; wrong answers are explained by the teacher. Based on answers, the teacher can ask students to explain their thinking about a particular answer.
Pros: The teacher is able to assess the entire class and can easily tell if a student isn’t participating. This activity would also be quick and easy to conduct.
Cons: Some students may feel uncomfortable because others are able to see their answers. Also, students may change their answers based on how their peers answer questions.
Grade level: All
Content areas: All
Additional resources: N/A (KF)
Find the Fib
This is a great way to assess and check for student understanding in any content area while involving the whole class. Students would get with a partner so that they can communicate and gain confidence in their understanding. This would be better for older students and higher proficiency levels, but it could be modified to a more basic scale. The teacher presents the class with three statements (both written and then read aloud to use both reading and listening skills for ELLs). Two statements are true, one is false. This tests understanding by making students reflect on what they have learned and distinguish between the facts and the fib. They will consult with their partners to decide which one they think is false, then hold up a card saying "One is the fib," "Two is the fib," or "Three is the fib." This should be done after a lesson for informal assessment. The only material needed is the paper cards for the partners that can be easily made by the teacher. (EL)
Find Someone Who
This is a way to help students review information that has been taught. The teacher makes a Review sheet of the information learned. Each student is given a review sheet. They walk around the room and ask another student one of the questions. If the student knows the answer they tell the student the answer and the student writes it down. The student who gave the information initials the question. Students can only give one answer to each student. The teacher gives the class a set amount of time to work and share. When the time is up the class comes back together and goes over the questions as a class. This activity would work with all content areas and would work well in upper elementary. Materials needed: Review sheet for each student (JG)
There are many different activities to support the implementation of the eight SIOP components. Remember that some activities fit more than one component. Organized by component below, you will find a description and some tips for a few possible activities.
To easily navigate to the various components, select from this list: Lesson Preparation, Building Background, Comprehensible Input, Strategies, Interaction, Practice/Application, Lesson Delivery or Review & Assessment.
Lesson Preparation
Alternate Materials
Differentiated Instruction
This is a vital part to lesson preparation. This can be done with all grade levels and subject areas. Differentiation should be used with all classes, but is especially important when dealing with ELLs from such different backgrounds and proficiency levels. Differentiated instruction allows teachers to cater to the various needs of their students. Teachers should think about how they will differentiate instruction during the planning stage of their lesson. They can do this by creating clear content and language objectives and using supplementary materials such as visuals and hands-on activities. It is important to provide scaffolding for students who struggle, while also leaving options for students who can go above and beyond. This is a difficult thing to master in a lesson, so it is important to plan ahead for it during lesson preparation. (EL)
Backwards Planning
The teacher plans backwards. Which means you determine how the content and language objectives will be assessed then you give a pretest to assess prior knowledge. The teacher then knows what they want the students to know to be successful on the final assessment. This strategy is used throughout the unit. Before the unit you are determining how you will assess and explain the objectives and assessments to the students, during the unit you are making sure students understand the tasks or you are re teaching, at the end of the unit you are assessing their learning. This strategy is best for grades three through twelve. It can be used for all content areas.Materials needed: lesson plans and objectives (JG)
Building Background
The Insert MethodKWL Chart
The KWL Chart is a basic and well-known form of building background. It can be used in all content areas and grade levels. There may be modified charts that could be incorporated to classrooms depending on the proficiency levels of the ELL students. In classes where students have lower proficiency, the KWL chart could be filled out as a class so that the teacher could provide support. For more advanced classes, the "Want to Learn" category can be filled out in greater detail (i.e. How will we find this information? Why is it important for us to learn this?). In that case, the teacher could use a KWHL chart, incorporating a "How" category. This activity should be used at the beginning and end of the lesson. The key part of this activity is going back to the chart after the lesson and filling out the "What we Learned" category. That helps students reflect on their learning and see if they met the goals that they set for themselves. These are links to a very basic KWL chart and a more in-depth KWHL chart:KWL Chart
KWHL Chart
(EL)
4-Corners Vocabulary
Students work in partners or small groups for this activity. They are given a vocabulary word for the unit and they create an illustration to represent the word, a definition of the word, a sentence using the word and then they write the actual vocabulary word. Students are given a piece of paper that is divided into four equal parts. The finished product can then be displayed in the classroom. This activity would be used at the beginning of the unit to build an understanding of vocabulary terms that will be used throughout the unit. All ages and all subject areas can use four corners vocabulary.Materials needed: Vocabulary words and paper (JG)
Comprehensible Input
Vocabulary Cards
Move It!
Move It! is a perfect activity for kinesthetic learners. It would be best for elementary students and ELLs with a lower proficiency level. It can be used in any content area as long as the teacher can think of movements to accompany the information being taught. This is a great way of incorporating active learning into the classroom and is a helpful strategy for memorization. The idea is that teachers would use movements to accompany new concepts (ex. When teaching about the water cycle, the teacher can do motions for "rain" and mimic waves for "collection," etc.) This should be used at the beginning of the lesson to introduce new vocabulary or concepts. It could be accompanied by visuals or a song to help further memorization. (EL)Framed Outlines
The teacher creates an outline of the text or lesson leaving out some key information. Students are expected to fill out the outline as they read, watch a video or listen to a mini-lesson. Framed outlines would be used during the lesson and individuals would complete the outline on their own or in small groups. Framed outlines provide differentiated instruction. Some students can create their outlines on their own; some students may need basic information with some blanks on the outline while others may need vocabulary terms or illustrations on their outlines. Framed Outlines can be used for grades second through twelve and across all content areas.Materials needed: teacher creates outline (JG)
Strategies
Canned Questions
Anticipation/Reaction Guide
This uses the strategy of predicting and self-evaluating for ELLs. This should be used for upper elementary grade levels and beyond because it requires some higher level thinking. It can be used in any content area, because teachers can change the statements to fit their subject. This activity can be modified to cater to all levels of ELL proficiency. Students are given a sheet with true/false statements. There are two columns, one for "anticipation" and one "reaction." Before the lesson, students fill out the prediction column based on prior knowledge and what they think will be true. Afterwards, they will fill out the second column and compare their answers. Teachers may decide to have a class or small group discussion to reflect on what students were or were not expecting. Here are two examples. The first has a written reflection piece, the other is more basic:Anticipation/Reaction Guide - Written Reflection
Basic Anticipation/Reaction Guide
(EL)
T-Chart Graphic Organizer
A T-Chart is a graphic organizer that helps students classify information. The class brainstorms information about a topic. The students then break into groups and classify the brainstormed information. If the topic is animals the class brainstorms ideas and then groups classify into wild animals or domestic animals. Students can then explain their reasons for placing the animals in the category. This can be used with all grade levels and all content areas. T-charts can be used to show what students already know or can be used at the end of a lesson to assess what they learned.Materials needed: chart paper for whole class t chart and paper for groups t charts (JG)
Interaction
You Are ThereReader/Writer/Speaker Triad
This form of interaction uses all four of the language skills for ELLs. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening are used by each member of the triad. This activity would be best for upper grade levels and higher proficiency, but it can be modified to fit any level. The idea is that a group of three students would work together to get through an article or perhaps a chapter of a textbook. Each student is given a role: one student reads the passage, a second writes a summary (phrases or drawings can be used for lower levels), and the third student shares the group's summary with the class. Roles can be rotated around the group so all students get to use each skill if desired. This can be used as a version of a jigsaw involving the whole class. The only material needed is the piece to read, paper, and a pencil. This can be used in any content area, because reading should be incorporated to all subjects. (EL)Gallery Walk
Questions or topics are written on chart paper and posted around the room. Students work in groups and rotate around the room to the different questions. Each group uses a different colored pen and writes two or three responses or ideas to the posted question. Groups rotate every three minutes to the next question. They read and respond to the statements on the paper. After responding to all the questions groups go to their original question and read what the other groups wrote. They summarize and share the information orally with the class. Gallery Walk can be used in all subject areas and in grades second through twelfthMaterials needed: Chart paper and different colored markers (JG)
Practice/Application
Short Story Flow Chart
Go Graphic
This application method provides a clear visuals for ELLs when reading. This would be best with upper grade levels, but it can be used for more basic stories as well. This would be primarily focused in an English setting, and would be great for secondary English teaching to accompany novels. There are a myriad of graphic representations to help students comprehend novels better. These charts focus on sequence, cause and effect, or problem and solution. It helps students put their thoughts into a visual form that is easy to follow. There are tons of options that can be found online. This uses writing, reading (of the novel), and speaking if shared with a group. This would come after reading to allow for student reflection and application of their knowledge of the story line. Here are a few examples of graphic organizers that would be easy to use:Story Sequence
Problem and Solution
Cause and Effect
(EL)
Piece O’ Pizza
This activity would be used after students have been given part of a text to read or when teaching a concept that has many parts. The teacher cuts a large circle into slices. Each slice is given to a small group. The group puts bits of information and illustrations on the slice. The pieces are then brought together and students share their information. This activity is good for second through twelfth grade and can work with all subject areas. This activity would be used with small groups and shows how parts make up a whole.Materials needed: a large circle cut into pieces (JG)
Lesson Delivery
Heading into Questions
Stand Up/Sit Down
This is a technique that should be used during a lesson to check in with students. It can be used as a "temperature check" for any grade level or content area. It is important to check in during lessons to make sure that students are keeping up. If not, the lesson needs to be re-evaluated and approached in a new way. This can be done in many different ways. This particular method is Stand Up/Sit Down. The teacher would ask a variety of questions, and the students will respond by standing. It can be done more discreetly with thumbs up/thumbs down. It can also be done with "magic buttons" or other paper forms. Either way, it is meant to make sure students aren't getting left behind. When teaching a lesson about parts of a story, the teacher would say, "Thumbs up if you feel confident that you could tell me what the rising action is."Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
(EL)
Chunk and Chew
This method gives students a chance to process the information being taught. For every ten minutes of teacher instruction students are given two minutes to process the information. Students can process individually or in small groups. This can work in all grade levels and across all content areas.Materials needed: none (JG)
Review & Assessment
Sign in Please
Find the Fib
This is a great way to assess and check for student understanding in any content area while involving the whole class. Students would get with a partner so that they can communicate and gain confidence in their understanding. This would be better for older students and higher proficiency levels, but it could be modified to a more basic scale. The teacher presents the class with three statements (both written and then read aloud to use both reading and listening skills for ELLs). Two statements are true, one is false. This tests understanding by making students reflect on what they have learned and distinguish between the facts and the fib. They will consult with their partners to decide which one they think is false, then hold up a card saying "One is the fib," "Two is the fib," or "Three is the fib." This should be done after a lesson for informal assessment. The only material needed is the paper cards for the partners that can be easily made by the teacher. (EL)Find Someone Who
This is a way to help students review information that has been taught. The teacher makes a Review sheet of the information learned. Each student is given a review sheet. They walk around the room and ask another student one of the questions. If the student knows the answer they tell the student the answer and the student writes it down. The student who gave the information initials the question. Students can only give one answer to each student. The teacher gives the class a set amount of time to work and share. When the time is up the class comes back together and goes over the questions as a class. This activity would work with all content areas and would work well in upper elementary.Materials needed: Review sheet for each student (JG)
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